BIM 360 DOCS - Share files outside of project

[Ezekiel12]

Hi,

lots of clients upgrade from BIM 360 TEAM to BIM 360 DOCS, which is far superior. But DOCs is missing some really basic functionalities, like - File sharing OUTSIDE of the project (like TEAM can).

See below image of DOCS sharing options and TEAM sharing options. Docs can share only with project members (which is totally useless 😞 because they already have access to it). 

At least add the option to share it by link to anyone. 

Additionaly, you can add:

- Log of all shared files

- Set expiration to shared files

- Maybe add this option only to users with edit/upload permissions.

Please Autodesk, this is "Must have". You don't develop the BIM 360 TEAM anymore, which is fine, but lot of users switch to DOCs and this basic thing is missing.

Thx,

Matt

[jsanders]

We can clearly see that the way Autodesk implemented the logic in how the users and licence work that it will ultimately fail. Other solutions are being developped to store Revit models online and allow sharing without paying $$$ for licences to everyone that you will send the revit model to. It's really a shame to see Autodesk going doing the road of corporate greed and not listening to it's users. We desperately need the feature, currently BIM 360 Docs is hopeless and virtually impossible to use without paying thousands of euros / USD.

[SeanMTA]

Right now in my Analytics dashboard it shows that our Member Limits by Services are way over for Document Management. We have about 20 Design licenses, but the Document Management service would be dead in the water if it weren't for this allowable overage. I mean, we send models or drawings to clients, stakeholders, cost consultants, building officials, PMs that don't use Revit, all kinds of people. To charge all of these people for a license would in fact kill 360 Docs dead. I have just invited whomever, throwing caution to the wind and it seems to have worked fine.
However, when it comes time to do "actual review" like QA/QC and such using Issues, Markups, Reviews, and the like, THEN I can see a justification for the 360 Docs license. For users that would effectively use Docs like Dropbox or Sharefile, I can't see Autodesk charging for every invited user and being able to sustain it in a competitive market.

[jsanders]

@SeanMTA I completely agree with you. We are blocked by the fact that 75% of people whom we invite onto the platform / share files with are simple users who don't have Revit, they can be clients, colleagues, on site managers, stakeholders, etc. etc. etc. In fact it's quite rare to actually have a proper user. And even then a proper Revit user can deposit their revit file maybe 4-5 times per project. And so we have to pay so much money just for this. It's simply unfair.

What would be needed is 2 different licences :

- a licence much cheaper where people can view the revit file online / download if needed (similar to B360 Team)

- an expensive licence where you can do check-ups, verifications, comments, etc. and manage the people by roles (similar to B360 Docs).

To conclude, it seems that it's an extremely foolish move from Autodesk to close down BIM 360 Team. So many companies need a simple platform like B360 Team. Autodesk is forcing thousands of clients to migrate to another solution. All of this makes no sense at all.

[michal.majerechCSJAM]

This really needs to be done. Any update @joan_allen ?

[penny_yu]

Hi, @michal.majerechCSJAM , thank you for your attention to this matter.  This feature is already in development now.

Best regards

Penny Yu

BIM 360 Document management

[SGrisez]

Pleas respond when this is available. It will be very helpful.
Can you elaborate on what public sharing will include?
Viewing drawings and Revit files and the ability to change display and take measurements? Yes? Anything else?

[michal.majerechCSJAM]

Thank you for your response. 

@joan_allen  Could you tell us approximate release date? 

Best regards

Michal Majerech, BIM Coordinator at Siemens

[piotr.spyra]

Hi,
@penny_yu @joan_allen  have we got any chance to use this function this year?

[wlelek]

Any updates on this one, Autodesk Team?

[Anonymous]

This too has now become a problem for us. We have a few projects with the same owners, and some of the projects are on BIM 360 Team and others on BIM 360 Document Management. As stated previously, it was simply a function of sending a link to those who needed it in the past. This kind of flexibility was incredible refreshing, and I was looking forward to more of it.

To now have to tell the owner/contractor that our new BIM 360 Document Management does not offer the same kind of flexibility, but requires them to have a login or be otherwise affiliated with Autodesk--well, this is embarrassing. Why would the software get less flexible, more fickle? I have to explain that they need to be part of the project team first, that someone has to invite them to the model after being added, that this invitation has be to accepted and that they might need to create an Autodesk account ("Another login and password to remember?!), sometimes the invitations don't always work (they get stuck under "Pending" status at times), etc. All PM's had to do in the past was look for that old email with the link, and forward as necessary--that was it.

Please provide greater value to our clients by making this feature available. To have once had it, and to have had it removed in a future issuance of Revit is a bit bewildering.

[Anonymous]

We reiterate the above.

Talking with our feet, we are currently using Citrix Sharefile on a number of projects as the CDE.

https://www.sharefile.com/

• It has been cost effective and a pleasure to work with (support can be a little frustrating through).
• CSF also has a very good local sync tool to maintain local copies of all files.
• They are more reactive to issues than Autodesk.

NR

[SGrisez]

Sharefile is great and we use it. But I want the user to be able to open the file from the site rather than needing to download it first.

[timh]

Just wondering if any progress has been made on this. 

It would be extremely useful feature. 

Currently, we have to save a second copy on a Google drive or elsewhere  to share with non BIM360 members.  These copies become out of date and chaos ensues!  So much for a single data source!

[SGrisez]

I have asked our dealer, and posted here. Hoping to get some or 'any' input from Autodesk Employees. No answers. This was accepted/approved in April 2019 to be added to the BIM360 roadmap. It sure would be nice to get some input from Autodesk.

[Anonymous]

There was a response today to this similar thread which started in 2017;

BIM 360 Docs - Documents can be shared with non-project members of BIM 360 Docs

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/bim-360-ideas/bim-360-docs-documents-can-be-shared-with-non-project-m...

Employee penny.yu Employee
yesterday
@Anonymous Thank you for your patience. We are actively working on this right now. No specific date to share, but it is in the near term roadmap.

Best Regards

Penny Yu

BIM 360 Document management

[penny_yu]

@Anonymous  Thank you for sharing the message. Yes, we are actively working on this. 

Best Regards

Penny

[budzinauskas]

After already receiving the cost proposal from a reseller, after setting up internal workflows and creating strategies for API integrations, and worst of all after selling the idea to our CEOs we get stuck on this issue!

Our pathetic server solution currently has link sharing to outside parties, However B360 does not. It is unacceptable in this price category of services to miss out on such essential functionality.

[jsanders]

Our company is going to have to switch from BIM 360 Docs to something else, solely because of this feature. Because we can't share a revit file via BIM 360 Docs, the whole platform is absolutely useless. 

Also the price is really too expensive imho.

[SeanMTA]

You can add the personnel to the team project and then share the model with them. They do not need a docs license, they just have to accept the "Access Project" link in the autogenerated email that will go out when you add them to the project. It just like using Sharefile or something else...the recipient doesn't need to pay anything, they just need to have their email associated with the platform via a login.

[SGrisez]

'You can add the personnel to the team project and then share the model with them. They do not need a docs license, they just have to accept the "Access Project" link in the autogenerated email that will go out when you add them to the project. It just like using Sharefile or something else...the recipient doesn't need to pay anything, they just need to have their email associated with the platform via a login.'



So is this new? - This information helps, but it is still a pain to have them need to sign in to an account. It is good to know that they don't have to pay anything. For the longest time I have been under the impression that 2 purchased licenses were required to access anything that was posted to the BIM360 site, one for the uploader and another for a viewer/downloader. According to this post only one is required. The viewer/downloader only needs to login. Is that correct?